Method of concrete building construction and adjustable brace system therefor

ABSTRACT

A method of constructing a concrete structure and an adjustable brace system therefor includes a plurality of adjustable brace assemblies capable of providing structural support for construction of a floor structure above and for an uncured concrete wall in the concrete forms. The adjustable brace system comprises an elongated first support, an elongated second support, and a cap. The first and second supports have dimensions to allow the first support to slidably engage at least a portion the second support. A plurality of apertures are positioned in the first and second supports to enable the apertures in the first support to align with the apertures in the second support, and fasteners are secured through aligned apertures to provide for adjustability of the adjustable brace system. The cap is capable of supporting a steel truss in position for a floor structure above.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to construction of buildings using concreteforms. More particularly, this invention relates to a system adapted totemporarily carry a structural load of a building during construction,while the concrete cures, such that construction is not limited by thecure time of concrete components.

Concrete forms for a concrete structure, such as concrete walls, arewell known in the construction industry. Such forms are often referredto as Insulating Concrete Forms (or “ICFs”), and hold the shape of theconcrete while it cures. Typically, opposing panels of Styrofoam® (DowChemical Co.), or other insulating foam panels are interconnected bybraces that maintain proper spacing between the panels and maintain thedesired form for the concrete structure while the concrete is placed andcured. The braces of opposing panels may also provide support forpositioning rebar or other reinforcing materials between the panelswhile the concrete is being placed and is hardening. Although such foampanels with bracing are typically used, the panels could notindependently support construction on a floor above while the concretewall is being placed and cured.

A series of vertical wall braces, referred to as “stiffbacks,” aretypically placed on one or both sides of the concrete forms, secured toa base, and attached to the concrete forms to provide lateral support tothe concrete forms during and/or after the concrete is placed. Diagonalbraces also may be attached to an upper portion of the vertical wallbraces to provide additional lateral support. Brackets or other similarstructures may also be attached to the vertical braces near the top ofthe concrete forms to provide workers with access during assembly of theupper portions of the concrete forms and pouring of the concrete.

Once the concrete forms and braces are fully assembled, concrete isplaced into the concrete forms and allowed to harden. The stiffbacks anddiagonal bracing provided support for the concrete forms while laterallysupporting concrete placed and not yet cured. Also, such stiffbackspreviously could not provide support for building construction abovewhile supporting the placed, uncured concrete wall.

In the case of multi-story structures, where an open web truss such as asteel truss, a corrugated metal subfloor and a concrete slab weretypically assembled and placed for a second or subsequent floor, it wasnecessary to allow the concrete walls to harden so the concrete wallswould provide the structural strength for the construction load of thefloor assembly above before the wall braces could be removed andconstruction of the floor above could proceed. Also, removal of thebraces from the walls typically was necessary before a concrete slabcould be placed because the braces may extend above the walls andinterfered with construction of the floor above. Therefore, theconstruction of the floor above a concrete wall would typically beseparated from the construction of the concrete walls by one or twodays, or more, substantially increasing the time and costs required forconstruction of the building structure. Additionally, the use of workersupport and protection systems are typically required for the safety ofworkers for the installation of trusses and subfloor for theconstruction of the floor above, which further added to structuralsupport needed from below and added to the time delays caused by curingof the concrete walls.

Therefore, a need exists for a method of construction that providestemporary structural support for construction of a floor above, whileconcrete supporting walls are being placed and cured to providepermanent support for the building structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a significant savings in time and cost inconstructing a building structure using concrete forms, and an assembledfloor above the walls. Prior systems required concrete to be placed in aconcrete form wall system and allowed to cure upon a first day, followedby assembly of trusses and subfloor decking for the floor above on asubsequent day, and placing of a concrete floor on the following day(s).By contrast, the method of constructing a concrete structure providedherein allows the concrete formed walls and floor assembly above thewalls to be erected and concrete wall and floor above to be placed onthe same day as desired.

A method of constructing a building structure is disclosed which allowsconstruction of a floor or other construction above the wall to proceedwhile concrete walls are placed and cured. The method includes assemblyof a plurality of adjustable braces attached to concrete forms capableof providing structural support for construction above and for anuncured concrete wall in the forms, where each adjustable brace has anelongated first support and an elongated second support dimensioned toenable the first support to slidably engage the second support. Thefirst and second supports may be dimensioned to allow one to betelescoped into at least a portion of the other along their longitudinallength. A plurality of apertures are spaced along both first and secondsupports to allow the apertures in the first and second supports toalign as the first and second support slide relative to each other. Theapertures are adapted to accept one or more fasteners to secure thefirst support and the second support together to form the brace of anadjustable length capable of providing structural support along thelength of the brace.

A cap is provided adjacent an end portion of the first support and isadapted to provide support for trusses for a floor above the concreteforms. The adjustable braces assembled with the wall forms are thus ableto temporarily provide structural support to enable construction of afloor above to proceed, as well as provide support for placed concretewalls while the concrete cured to become structural bearing componentsfor the building. Typically, the adjustable braces vertically span theconcrete forms to provide structural support for the construction of thefloor above, usually from the foundation or floor below the concreteforms.

The cap may comprise an upper portion adapted to support the upper chordof a steel truss and a nesting portion capable of allowing an end webportion of the steel truss to be positioned. The upper portion of thecap may have upper support surfaces spaced to support the upper chord ofa steel truss and provide for a passage there between of the web of thetruss. The cap may also comprise a lower portion dimensioned to engagethe first support such as to be received by an end portion of the firstsupport or to receive the end portion of the first support.

The method may also include placing the adjustable brace adjacentconcrete forms and then positioning metal trusses on the caps. Themethod may also include assembling a steel cover, typically of L-shapedmetal pieces, over the top and upper edges of the concrete forms.Workers then may fasten subfloor decking to the assembled trusses. Thepresence of a passage in the cap permits an upper chord to rest on thecap while a web portion of the truss is positioned in a nesting portionfrom the top chord to a bottom chord of the trusses. The method alsocomprises placing concrete above the concrete form over the subfloordecking, with the adjustable braces attached to the concrete formsindependently supporting the trusses, subfloor decking and the concretefloor. In this embodiment, the adjustable brace system provides atemporary support structure bearing the load of the truss, decking andconcrete above the decking as well as lateral support for the ICF, whilethe concrete in the wall system cures. The adjustable brace system maybe removed once the concrete has sufficiently hardened to independentlybear the structural load of the building.

An adjustable brace system for insulating concrete forms is alsodisclosed comprising a first support, a second support, and a cap. Thefirst and second supports are dimensioned such that the first supportslidably engages the second support, or vice versa. The first supportmay telescope into a portion of the second support, and be capable ofproviding structural support along the longitudinal length of theadjustable brace. A plurality of apertures is located in the first andsecond supports to enable the apertures in the first support to alignwith apertures in the second support and allow adjustment of the lengthof the adjustable brace. Fasteners such as support pins are insertedinto the apertures to secure the first and second supports together andfix the adjustable length of the brace. In one embodiment, the firstsupport and the second support may each comprise a web, a first flangeattached to a first edge of the web, and a second flange attached to asecond edge of the web, in a generally C-shape cross section. In such anembodiment, the plurality of apertures may be located along the firstand second flanges of the first and second supports.

The cap is adapted to be positioned adjacent the end portion of thefirst support and support a truss in position for a floor structureabove. The cap may provide at least one support surface adapted tosupport one or more chords of a steel truss, with a nesting portion toallow a web portion of a truss to pass through, so that the truss issupported in structural position to support subfloor decking. The capmay comprise an upper portion to provide support for the chord of atruss, with a nesting portion through which a web of the truss mayextend, to position the truss for construction of a floor above theconcrete wall forms and wall structure. The cap may additionallycomprise a lower portion connected to an end portion of the firstsupport of the adjustable brace and a stop, for example in the form of aplate, positioned between the upper portion of the cap and the lowerportion of the cap. The stop may have a length and width greater thanthe dimensions of the first or second support. The stop may additionallycontain a gap that communicates to provide for positioning of a trusspositioned for construction of a floor structure above the concrete wallforms and wall structure.

The lower cap portion may additionally comprise one or more reinforcingmembers extending from a first flange of the lower cap portion to asecond flange of the lower cap portion. The first flange and the secondflange of the lower cap portion may additionally comprise one or moreapertures. The first support may additionally comprise one or moreapertures located in each flange in such a way as to allow apertures inthe first support to align with apertures in the lower cap portion, andadapted to accept a pin, a bolt or another type of fastener to securethe first support and the lower cap portion together. Where the firstand second supports each comprise a web and first and second flangesattached to opposing edges of the web, as described above, the lowerportion of the cap may also comprise a web, a first flange attached to afirst edge of the web, and a second flange attached to a second edge ofthe web, providing a bottom portion for the cap that is C-shaped incross-section. In any event, the lower cap portion is dimensioned to beinsertable into or to otherwise engage the first support.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a building structure with anadjustable brace system with concrete forms, truss such as steel joistand subfloor decking in place;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional, partial view of components of the concreteforms, spaced from the view shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a side elevational view of an adjustable brace forconstructing a concrete structure;

FIG. 3B is a rear elevational view of a first elongated support of theadjustable brace system shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a top plan view of a C-shaped first support shown in FIGS. 3Aand 3B;

FIG. 4A is side elevational view of a second elongated support of anadjustable brace system for constructing a concrete structure;

FIG. 4B is a rear elevational view of the second elongated support shownin FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C is a top plan view of a C-shaped second elongated support shownin FIGS. 4A and 4B;

FIG. 5A is a front cross-sectional view of an anchor unit attached to anelongated second support;

FIG. 5B is a side cross-sectional view of the anchor unit and theelongated second support shown in FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5C is a top cross sectional view of the anchor unit and theelongated second support shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B;

FIG. 6A is a side cross-sectional view of a cap of an adjustable bracesystem;

FIG. 6B is a front cross-sectional view of the cap shown in FIG. 6Ainserted into an elongated first support of an adjustable brace systemfor constructing a concrete structure; and

FIG. 6C is a cross sectional view along line A-A of the cap shown inFIG. 6B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

A method of constructing a concrete structure with adjustable bracesystem 10 is generally described with reference to FIGS. 1-2. Afoundation or lower floor 13 for the building structure is first formedand a course of concrete forms 11 are placed on the foundation or lowerfloor 13. The concrete forms may be insulating, and may be shimmed ortrimmed as necessary. Additional courses of concrete forms 11 may beplaced on the first course of concrete forms to a desired height for theconcrete wall structure.

During or after the concrete forms have reached a desired height,adjustable brace systems 10 comprising a first support 12 and a secondsupport 14 are placed adjacent to concrete forms 11. The adjustablebrace system 10 may span the length of the assembled courses of theconcrete forms 11 and be secured to the foundation or lower floor 13.The adjustable braces are attached to the concrete forms 11 throughapertures 38 and 46 in the web of first and/or second supports 12, 14 asdescribed more fully below. Where concrete forms 11 may have pre-placedties for attachment of the wall brace, those ties may be utilized forthis purpose. Although the adjustable brace systems 10 may be positionedat any angle as desired, it may be installed to provide a verticalstructural support for the floor above as described below.

A diagonal brace 80 may be secured to a first support 12 and extenddiagonally to the foundation floor 13, forming an angle between diagonalbrace 80 and the floor. In one example, the angle formed is about 60degrees. Diagonal brace 80 can be secured to first support 12 within achannel 15 of first support 12. Optionally, an attachment system such asthat described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,273, may be used to attachdiagonal brace 80 to first support 12. Diagonal brace 80 can also beused to provide additional lateral support so that the adjustable bracesystems 10 are approximately plumb to achieve a vertical position ifdesired.

Additional brackets 82 may also be attached to adjustable brace 10 forthe construction of a platform or scaffold for workers so that the uppercourses of concrete forms 11 may be easily accessed during assembly tothe desired height and for pouring of the concrete between the forms 11to form the concrete wall. The adjustable brace systems 10 may besecured with a plurality of fasteners (not shown) to the courses ofconcrete forms 11 as the courses are placed in position, or securedafter all the courses of concrete forms are assembled to the desiredheight. Typically, the adjustable brace systems are secured after thefirst few courses of concrete forms 11 are placed in position and thensecured to concrete forms as additional courses of the concrete formsare put into position and secured.

Once the full height of concrete forms 11 are in place, a cover may beplaced over the top of the concrete forms 11. The cover may be in theform of continuous L-shaped cold-formed steel 83 installed on top of theconcrete forms 11, protecting concrete forms 11 and the exterior of theconcrete form during construction, as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 provides apartial cross section of the adjustable brace system 10 with first andsecond supports 12, 14, and L-shaped steel pieces 83 are fastened to thefirst supports 12 of the adjustable braces system 10. Additionally, FIG.2 shows internal supports 19 for the concrete forms.

Each adjustable brace system is described in more detail with referenceto FIGS. 3-6. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A-4C, first and secondsupports 12, 14 of the adjustable brace system are generally C-shaped incross section, surrounding channels 15, 17 respectively. First andsecond supports 12, 14 are dimensioned to allow first support 12 to beslidably engaged with second support 14 so that the assembled adjustablebrace system is capable of providing structural support for constructionabove and for an uncured concrete wall in the forms 11. First support 12may be telescoping into a portion of second support 14, or vice versa.First support 12 may also comprise lip portions 20, 22 extending fromeach flange 18 of the support, and second supports 14 may also compriselip portions 28, 30 extending from each flange 26 of the support. Forexample, first support 12 may have a web 16 with a width of 5 inches, apair of flanges 18 with a depth of 3 inches extending from oppositesides of web 16, first lips 20 with a width of 0.75 inches extendingfrom the flanges, and second lips 22 of 0.75 inches extending from firstlip 20 and running along flanges 18. In this embodiment, second support14 may have a web 24 width of 5.134 inches, flange 26 depths of 3.25inches, first lip 28 length of 0.95 inches extending from flange 26 anda second lip 30 of 0.234 inches extending from first lip 28 at an anglefrom first lip 28. For example, first support 12 and second support 14may be constructed with 14 or 16 gauge steel.

For assembly of each adjustable brace 10, first support 12 contains aplurality of apertures 32, 34, and 36 spaced along each flange 18. Asshown in the Figures, these apertures include upper apertures 32 and 34.For example, first upper aperture 32 is located two inches from the topedge of first support 12 and second upper aperture 34 is spaced 6 incheson center from first upper aperture 32. First support 12 also includes aplurality of lower apertures 36 spaced from upper apertures 32, 34.Lower apertures 36 may be spaced 4 inches on center from each other andfrom the lower end of first support 12. Lower apertures 36 are also eachspaced one inch on center from the edge of flange 18 that adjoins web16.

Web 16 of first support 12 also may contain a plurality of apertures 38,which may be located along the center portion of web 16. In one example,apertures 38 are oval and spaced 4 inches from each other on center.Apertures 38 are generally used to attach wall brace system 10 to theconcrete forms 11 as described above.

For assembly of the adjustable brace 10, second support 14 also containsa plurality of apertures as shown in FIGS. 4A-4B. These include firstand second apertures 40, 42 in flange 26. Apertures 40, 42 are arrangedsuch that when first support 12 is slidably engaged with second support14, apertures 36 can be aligned with apertures 40, 42. Apertures 36 and40, 42 are adapted to receive a bolt, pin or other fastener to securefirst support 12 and second support 14 to each other, and capable ofproviding structural support for construction above with uncuredconcrete wall in the forms 11. Flange 26 may also contain additionalapertures 44 along its length to provide for fixing of an anchor unit 48to secure the adjustable brace system 10 to the foundation or lowerfloor 13.

The web 24 of the second support 14 also may contain apertures 46similar to apertures 38 in web 16 of the first support 12. As withapertures 38, apertures 46 may be located along the center portions ofweb 24. For example, apertures 46 may be oval as shown and spaced about4 inches on centers. Apertures 46 and 38 are configured and spaced as toalign with each other to allow first and second supports 12, 14 and theassembled adjustable brace system 10 to be attached to insulatingconcrete forms 11.

As mentioned above, first support 12 can be slidably engaged with secondsupport 14 such that apertures 36 are aligned with apertures 40, 42, andone or more bolts or pins 56 are inserted through the aligned apertures36 and 40, 42 to secure the first and second supports 12, 14 to eachother, and provide an assembled adjustable brace system 10 capable ofproviding structural support for construction above as well as for anuncured concrete wall in the forms 11. In this way, the total length ofassembled first support 12 and second support 14 can be varied byaltering the apertures through which pins 56 are inserted to provide fordifferent desired heights for concrete forms 11. For example, firstsupport 12 may about 8 feet long, and second support 14 may be about 5feet long. Apertures 36 may be spaced about 4 inches apart on center,and apertures 40, 42 may be spaced about 8 inches apart on center.Assembled first support 12 and second support 14 may thereby be adjustedto provide an adjustable brace between 8 feet 6 inches to 12 feet 2inches in height. The apertures may for example be spaced the length ofthe assembled first support 12 and second support 14, and the adjustablebrace system 10 may be adjustable in 4 inch increments. It is alsoenvisioned that by altering the placement of the apertures, the lengthof the adjustable brace system may be adjustable in other increments.Thus, the adjustable brace system 10 is adjustable and capable ofproviding structural support for construction above and for an uncuredconcrete wall in the forms 11.

The adjustable brace may also include an anchor unit 48. Each adjustablebrace 10 may have an aperture located so as to align with an aperture ofthe second support and adapted to allow one or more fastening members tobe provided for the apertures to secure the second support 14 to theanchor unit. Anchor unit 48 may take the form of an inverted double “T”with a single anchor member 50 and a pair of vertical members 52,extending from anchor member 50, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5C. Verticalmembers 52 may have a pair of apertures 45 located so as to align withapertures 44 when the second support 14 rests on anchor member 50 ofanchor unit 48. One or more bolts or pins 54 may be inserted intoapertures 44, 45 to secure second support 14 to anchor unit 48. Anchormember 50 may also have one or more apertures 57, through which nails,screws or the like (not shown) to secure anchor unit 48 to thefoundation or lower floor 13. In one example, horizontal member 50 hasthe dimensions of about 9.5 inches by 3.5 inches by 0.25 inches andvertical members 52 may be made of 14 or 16 gauge steel having thedimensions of about 3 inches by 3 inches. Apertures 45 are located aboutone inch from the rear edges of vertical members 52 and have a diameterof about 11/16 inch.

Each adjustable brace system 10 also includes a cap 60 which isconfigured to be inserted onto an end of first support 12 opposite fromsecond support 14 (FIGS. 6A-6C). One or more trusses 84 are then placedin assembled positions over caps 60, and centered over the concreteforms 11. Note that trusses 84 may be steel joist or any other desiredopen web truss typically made of steel or wood. As shown in FIG. 1,trusses 84 comprises a top chord 92 and a bottom chord 93 connected byan end web 91. The configuration of cap 60 allows truss 84 to becentered above adjustable brace system 10, and with top chord 92supported on the support 61 of cap 60 and flush with the L-shaped steel83 on concrete forms 11. Subfloor decking 86 is then installed overtrusses 84 and Z-shaped deck edge closures 87 shown in FIG. 2 are usedto span between subfloor decking 86 with the steel cover over concreteforms 11. Closures 87 may be fastened to the cold-formed steel angle 83and to the deck with self-drilling screws 95.

Workers can access upper portions of the concrete forms for placement ofsubfloor decking 86 while standing on a scaffold or platform provided bybracket 82. Guard rails 85 may also be placed on the opposite side ofinsulating concrete forms 11 for worker safety. Once secured, subfloordecking 86 can be used as a working platform for the remainder of thesubfloor installation.

Once subfloor decking 86 is installed, reinforcing screws 94, such asShearflex® screws, or similar fasteners may be installed throughsubfloor 86, and concrete placed in concrete forms 11 and over subfloor86. Rebar 96 may optionally be placed in the concrete form 11, in theconcrete floor, or both. The adjustable brace systems 10 have thecapacity to temporarily support the concrete forms 11 and the subfloor86, while the concrete is being placed and until the concrete has curedto support the load of the walls, and trusses, decking and the concreteof the floor above.

Cap 60 may comprise an upper portion 62 that provides surfaces 61 forthe truss seat 92 of the trusses, and a lower portion 64 that isinserted within channel 15 of first support 12. Upper portion 62 andlower portion 64 of cap 60 are separated by a stop 66, typically in theform of a plate, having a length and width greater than the dimensionsof the first support 12 and the adjustable brace 10. For example, stop66 may be a plate of about 5.5 inches by 3.5 inches in rectangular shapeby 0.25 inches in thickness. In addition, stop 66 may also contain anesting portion or “notch” 63 corresponding in location to the gapportion of the C-shaped top portion that lies between the first lips 20.Nest portions 63 provide passage for the end web of a truss 84. Forexample, nesting portion 63 may be a notch about 1 to 1.5 inches wide.

Lower portion 64 of cap 60 may be C-shaped corresponding to the C-shapeddimensions of first support 12 except having narrower dimensions,optionally sufficient to provide a friction fit. For example, lowerportion 64 may comprise a web 65 having a width of less than about 5inches, a pair of opposed flanges 67 of a depth of less than about 3inches. A portion of the C-shape of lower portion 64 may be reinforcedby one or more reinforcing members 68, 70 extending from one flange ofthe C-shape to the other to create a D-shape in one portion of cap 60.Flanges 67 of cap 60 may also contain apertures 72 which are positionedto communicate with apertures 32 and 34 of first support 12. Bolts, pinsor other fasteners 71 may be placed through apertures 72, 32, and 34 tosecure cap 60 to first support 12.

For example, lower portion 64 of cap 60 may be 9 inches in height.Stiffener 68 may be a plate of 14 or 16 gauge steel having rectangularshape of about 4.5 inches by 2 inches. Apertures 72 may be spaced 6inches on center.

Upper portion 62 of cap 60 may comprise upper support member 69 capableof supporting a truss seat 92 of a truss 84 and a nesting portion 59.Nesting portion 59 enables a portion of a truss 84, such as an end web91, to be positioned unimpeded in an assembled position as shown inFIG. 1. For example, nesting portion 59 may be about one and one eighth(1⅛) inch in upper portion 62 of cap 60. In another embodiment, capsupport members 69 may comprise a rectangular shape attached to stop 66formed of a plate member, but displaced from each other by about one andone eighth (1⅛) inch to provide nesting portion 59. As described above,stop 66 may also contain a cut-out portion or notch 63 in a plate toprovide nesting portion 59 for a truss 84.

It is to be understood that any evident variations of the abovedescribed invention fall within the scope of the claimed invention andthus, the selection of specific embodiments can be selected as desiredwithout departing from the spirit of the invention herein disclosed anddescribed.

1. A method of constructing a concrete structure, the method comprisingthe steps of: attaching a plurality of adjustable brace system to aconcrete form with each adjustable brace system being adjustable byhaving an elongated first support and an elongated second support,assembling the first support and second support of each adjustable bracesystem where the first support and the second support are dimensioned toallow the first support to slidably engage at least a portion of thesecond support, the first and second supports each comprising aplurality of apertures located to allow the apertures in the firstsupport to align with apertures in the second support and being adaptedto accept one or more fasteners to secure the first support and secondsupport together to form the adjustable brace system of an adjustablelength, and positioning a cap on end portions of the first support, thecap being capable of supporting a floor structure above the concreteform.
 2. The method of constructing a concrete structure as claimed inclaim 1, where the elongated first support telescopes into a portion ofthe elongated second support.
 3. The method of constructing a concretestructure as claimed in claim 1, where the elongated second supporttelescopes into a portion of the elongated first support.
 4. The methodof constructing a concrete structure as claimed in claim 1, where thefirst support and the second support each are assembled with a web, afirst flange attached to a first edge of the web and a second flangeattached to a second edge of the web, and the plurality of aperturesbeing located in the flanges of the first and second supports.
 5. Themethod of constructing a concrete structure as claimed in claim 1, wherethe cap of the adjustable brace system has an upper portion capable ofsupporting a truss for a floor structure.
 6. The method of constructinga concrete structure as claimed in claim 1 where the cap of theadjustable brace system has a lower portion assembled with a reinforcingmember extending from the first flange of lower portion to the secondflange of the lower portion.
 7. The method of constructing a concretestructure as claimed in claim 1, comprising the additional step ofpositioning an L-shaped steel cover over the concrete forms.
 8. Themethod of constructing a concrete structure as claimed in claim 5comprising the additional step of positioning trusses supported on thecaps of the assembled adjustable brace system and decking over thetrusses to form a subfloor.
 9. The method of constructing a concretestructure as claimed in claim 8 comprising the additional step ofsequentially placing concrete in the concrete form and above thedecking.
 10. The method of constructing a concrete structure as claimedin claim 4, where the cap is assembled with an upper portion capable ofsupporting in a truss seat the upper chord of truss and a nestingportion capable of permitting the end web of the truss to be assembledin position for a floor structure.
 11. An adjustable brace system forconstructing a concrete structure comprising: a first elongated supportand a second elongated support dimensioned to allow the first support toslidably engage at least a portion of the second support, the firstsupport and the second support each comprising a plurality of apertureslocated to enable apertures in the first support to align with aperturesin the second support and to accept a fastener to secure the firstsupport and second support together to form an adjustable brace of anadjustable length, and a cap attached adjacent an end portion of thefirst support and capable of supporting a truss assembled in positionfor a floor structure.
 12. The adjustable brace system for constructinga concrete structure as claimed in claim 11 where the first support andsecond supports are telescoping.
 13. The adjustable brace system forconstructing a concrete structure as claimed in claim 12 where the firstsupport and the second support each are comprised of a web, a firstflange attached to a first edge of the web and a second flange attachedto a second edge of the web, the plurality of apertures being located inthe first and second flanges of the first and second supports.
 14. Theadjustable brace system for constructing a concrete structure as claimedin claim 13 where the cap comprises an upper portion capable ofsupporting an upper chord of a steel truss and a nesting positioncapable of permitting a web portion of the truss to be positioned inassembly of a truss in a floor structure.
 15. The adjustable bracesystem for constructing a concrete structure as claimed in claim 13where the cap comprises a lower portion capable of engaging an endportion of the first support.
 16. The adjustable brace system forconstructing a concrete structure as claimed in claim 15 where the lowerportion of the cap comprises a web, a first flange attached to a firstedge of the web and a second flange attached to a second edge of theweb.
 17. The adjustable brace system for constructing a concretestructure as claimed in claim 16, the lower portion of the capadditionally comprising at least one reinforcing member extending fromthe first flange of the lower portion to the second flange of the lowerportion.
 18. The adjustable brace system for constructing a concretestructure as claimed in claim 14, where the cap comprises a lowerportion capable of engaging an end portion of the first support, and astop positioned between the upper portion and the lower portiondimensioned greater than the cross sectional dimension of the firstsupport.
 19. The adjustable brace system for constructing a concretestructure as claimed in claim 13, where the first support and the secondsupport have a plurality of apertures in the web of the first supportand in the web of the second support adapted to engage fasteners tosecure the adjustable brace to a concrete form.
 20. The adjustable bracesystem for constructing a concrete structure as claimed in claim 11,where the adjustable brace system is adjustable in increments of lessthan 6 inches.
 21. The adjustable brace system for constructing aconcrete structure as claimed in claim 11, additionally comprising ananchor unit capable of anchoring an adjustable brace to a foundation.